1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mirrors used on vehicles and, more particularly, to rear view mirrors placed on the sides of vehicles outside the passenger compartment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Day/night mirrors are well known for use in a passenger compartment of an automobile. During the day, the day/night mirror is oriented so that the scene from the rear window is directly reflected into the driver's eyes. At night, however, a reflection of headlights from automobiles at the rear of a vehicle directly into the eyes of the driver may be irritating and even blinding. As a result, the day/night mirror is manually moved a discrete increment of distance by the driver so that the reflection of the scene from the rear window is attenuated before it reaches the driver's eyes. With the attenuated reflection of the day/night mirror, headlight glare from vehicles behind the driver is significantly reduced.
In sharp contrast, mirrors that are placed outside the passenger compartment of a vehicle, such as on the left and right sides of the vehicle, are not equipped with the day/night mirrors. As a result, headlight glare from vehicles behind the driver is reflected off of the side view mirrors directly into the driver's eyes. In this respect, it would be desirable if an outside, side view mirror were provided which included a day/night mirror.
For convenience, it is desired that outside, side view mirrors are controllable by the driver from inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. That is, an outside, side view mirror is remotely controlled by the driver from inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. When this is the case, the driver need not roll down a window and expose oneself to cold and rain to adjust an outside, side view mirror. By the same token, it would be desirable if an outside, side view, day/night mirror were remotely controlled from inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to outside, side view mirrors, and the following U.S. Pat. Nos. are representative of some of those innovations: 4,660,944; 4,981,279; 4,993,822; 5,033,835; and 5,177,642. More specifically, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,944, 4,981,279, 4,993,822, and 5,177,642, an outside, side view mirror is remotely adjusted by manual control from inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It is recalled, however, that with a conventional, day/night mirror located in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, the mirror is moved from its position as a day mirror to its position as a night mirror by a predetermined incremental tilt. However, none of the cited U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,944, 4,981,279, 4,993,822, and 5,177,642 provide for such an incremental mirror tilt to shift the mirror from a day to a night position. Instead, the cited patents provide for a continuum of manual control through a wide range of mirror adjustments. In this respect, it would be desirable if a remotely controlled, outside, side view mirror were provided with a predetermined incremental movement of the mirror from a daytime position to a nighttime position.
The other patent cited above, U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,835, discloses remotely controlled, motor-operated mirrors that cause the controlled mirror to scan a traffic pattern.
Still other features would be desirable in a remotely controlled, outside, day/night mirror apparatus. Although manual predetermined incremental control of an outside day/night mirror may be suitable for certain purposes, there may also be instances when it is desirable to control the incremental tilt of an outside day/night mirror by electric means. In this respect, it would be desirable if an outside, side view, day/night mirror were provided with remote electrical control of predetermined incremental mirror tilt from a daytime mode to a nighttime mode.
With a conventional inside day/night mirror that is present in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, there are two modes of adjustment of the mirror. The first mode of adjustment is for orientation of the mirror and its entire housing for appropriate viewing through the rear window. The second mode of adjustment is for the incremental tilt of the mirror within the mirror housing, but not tilting the mirror housing, from a daytime position to a nighttime position. In this respect, it would be desirable if an outside, side view, remotely controlled day/night mirror were provided with two modes of adjustment wherein the first mode of adjustment is for orientation of the mirror and its mirror housing for appropriate viewing of an outside side view, and wherein the second mode of adjustment is for the incremental tilt of the mirror, but not the mirror housing, from a daytime position to a nighttime position.
Since the day/night mirror has only two tilt positions, it would be desirable if the device for tilting the mirror had only two active positions. Moreover, it would be desirable if the mirror tilt control device toggled from the daytime to the nighttime tilt position and vice versa.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use remotely controlled outside mirrors, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a remotely controlled, outside, day/night mirror apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) includes a day/night mirror; (2) is remotely controlled from inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle; (3) provides a predetermined incremental movement of the mirror from a daytime position to a nighttime position and vice versa; (4)provides remote electrical control of predetermined incremental mirror tilt from a daytime mode to a nighttime mode and vice versa; (5) provides two modes of adjustment wherein the first mode of adjustment is for orientation of the mirror and its mirror housing for appropriate viewing of an outside side view, and wherein the second mode of adjustment is for the incremental tilt of the mirror, but not the mirror housing, from a daytime position to a nighttime position and vice versa; and (6) provides a mirror tilt control device which toggles from the daytime to the nighttime tilt position and vice versa. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique remotely controlled, day/night mirror apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.